THE ARTICLE

Help may be just around the corner for smokers wishing to kick the habit. A Swiss company has tested an experimental anti-nicotine vaccine and has come up with impressive success rates. Cytos Biotechnology believes it has the best answer to date to fight nicotine addiction. Clinical trials on 341 heavy smokers revealed that 40 percent of those who received the vaccine stopped smoking. All smokers who took the vaccine developed antibodies that helped reject the desire for a cigarette.

The vaccine works by inducing the production of nicotine antibodies to block its entry to the brain. This reduces the dependence on nicotine and curbs any pleasurable effects it has for smokers, thus helping people to break their addiction. The drug may be particularly useful to prevent relapses after quitting. “Just one” cigarette is enough to revive an addiction to nicotine for those who thought they had quit. This is good news for the world’s 1.3 billion smokers, five million of whom die each year from smoking.

WARM-UPS

1. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics you are interested in, which do not look interesting and which look really boring:

Have a chat about the topics you liked. For more conversation, change topics and partners frequently.

2. SMOKING: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with smoking. Share your words with your partner / group and talk about them.

3. 2-MINUTE DEBATES: With a partner, engage in these fun 2-minute debates. Students A firmly believe in the opinions on the left, Students B strongly support the opinions on the right. Change partners often.

Nothing will stop people smoking. vs. Something will be found.

Smokers have rights. vs. They don’t.

Passive smoking doesn’t kill people. vs. It does.

This anti-nicotine vaccine is a flash in the pan. vs. It’ll work.

People who cannot quit smoking are weak. vs. Nicotine is a very powerful drug.

Smoking will be illegal one day. vs. It won’t. Governments need the tax revenues.

Smoking looks cool. vs. You must be joking.

4. 'FILTHY' HABITS: Talk about other ‘filthy’ / bad / unsociable / unhealthy habits. Are the bad habits worse or not as bad as smoking?

drinking (alcohol)

spitting in the street

graffiti

showing gum as you chew it

peeing (urinating) in the street

littering

using a loud Walkman on the train

wearing strong perfume in a crowded area

talking loudly on a mobile phone

using bad language

5. SMOKERS I KNOW: Write down the names of three smokers you know. Tell each other about these smokers and their addiction.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a.

Help may be at hand for smokers wishing to quit.

T / F

b.

Many people smoke just around the corner.

T / F

c.

Passive smokers participated in clinical trials.

T / F

d.

All participants who took a vaccine developed anti-nicotine antibodies.

T / F

e.

The vaccine works by making people feel ill when they smoke.

T / F

f.

The drug may help people stick to their plans to quit.

T / F

g.

“Just one” cigarette is enough to revive an addiction to nicotine.

T / F

h.

There are 1.3 million smokers in the world.

T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

a.

just around the corner

notable

b.

kick the habit

bar

c.

impressive

yet

d.

to date

suppresses

e.

reject

activating

f.

inducing

at hand

g.

block

resurrect

h.

curbs

annually

i.

revive

quit

j.

each year

repel

3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

a.

Help may be

effects

b.

kick

antibodies

c.

impressive success

the habit

d.

the best answer to

on nicotine

e.

developed

date

f.

block

useful

g.

reduces the dependence

just around the corner

h.

particularly

relapses

i.

pleasurable

its entry to the brain

j.

prevent

rates

WHILE READING / LISTENING

WHICH WORD? Circle the correct word in each pair of words in bold.

Anti-smoking vaccine developed

Help may be just around the corner / angle for smokers wishing to punch / kick the habit. A Swiss company has tested an experimental / experiential anti-nicotine vaccine and has come up with impressive success / interest rates. Cytos Biotechnology believes it has the best question / answer to date to fight nicotine addiction. Clinical trails/ trials on 341 heavy smokers revealed that 40 percent of those who received / revived the vaccine stopped smoking. All smokers who took the vaccine developed antibodies that helped deject /reject the desire for a cigarette.

The vaccine works by inducing / introducing the production of nicotine antibodies to block its departure /entry to the brain. This reduces the dependence on nicotine and curbs any pleasurable affects /effects it has for smokers, thus / this helping people to break their addiction / predilection. The drug may be particularly useful to prevent relapses before /after quitting. “Just one” cigarette is enough to survive / revive an addiction to nicotine for those who thought they had quit. This is good news / tidings for the world’s 1.3 billion smokers, five million of whom die each year from smoking.

Make a mini-presentation to another group / the class on your findings.

6. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall exactly how these were used in the text:

corner

biotechnology

fight

heavy

vaccine

desire

inducing

brain

pleasurable

relapses

good

billion

LANGUAGE

“HOW IT WORKS”:

Look at the following paragraph from the article.

The vaccine works by inducing the production of nicotine antibodies to block its entry to the brain. This reduces the dependence on nicotine and curbs any pleasurable effects it has for smokers, thus helping people to break their addiction.

In pairs, decide on what you want to explain. Working alone, write a similar paragraph each to explain how the thing you decided on works:

___________________ works by _________________________

____________________________________________________

to __________________________________________________ .

This _________________________________________________

and _________________________________________________ ,

thus _________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________ .

After you have finished, compare your paragraphs. How are they different?

Write down any unknown vocabulary from your partner.

Is there any missing information in either explanation? Combine the two paragraphs to make a better one.

DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

What did you think when you saw the headline of this article?

Do you like reading about science and medicine?

Do you think this vaccine will take off or be another flash in the pan?

How many people do you know who might try it?

Do you think it’s easy to quit smoking?

Governments don’t want to encourage people to stop smoking because they lose tax revenue. What do you think about this?

Do you think smoking looks cool?

Why do people start smoking?

How would you feel if your younger brother or sister / son or daughter started smoking?

Are you addicted to anything?

STUDENT B’s questions (Do not show these to student A)

Did you like reading the article?

What do you think of this nicotine vaccine?

Do you know anyone who would give it a go?

What do you think of tobacco companies?

Do you think smoking will ever disappear?

Do you have any bad habits you want to quit?

What does your government do to discourage smoking?

Should nicotine be classed as an illegal drug?

Do you know anyone you really want to kick the habit?

Did you like this discussion?

AFTER DISCUSSION: Join another partner / group and tell them what you talked about.

What question would you like to ask about this topic?

What was the most interesting thing you heard?

Was there a question you didn’t like?

Was there something you totally disagreed with?

What did you like talking about?

Do you want to know how anyone else answered the questions?

Which was the most difficult question?

SPEAKING

ADDICTIONS: Talk about the following addictions. How would your life change if you had one of these addictions?

Chocoholic

Workaholic

Alcoholic

Drug addict

TV addict

Gaming addict

Addicted to love

Addicted to ice cream

Addicted to studying English

Addicted to nicotine

Addicted to gambling

In pairs, choose one of the addictions. Pretend you are an addict. Write down how this addiction affects your

Life

Work

Family

Friends

Health

Body

Wallet

Feelings

Other

Change partners. One partner plays a counselor, the other an addict. Role play a counseling session aimed at getting the addict to quit. (The addict always finds a “good excuse” or reason to reject the counselor’s advice.)

Return to your original partners and discuss the “counseling” you received and whether or not it was good.

LISTENING

Listen and fill in the spaces.

Anti-smoking vaccine developed

Help may be ____ ______ ___ _____ for smokers wishing to kick the habit. A Swiss company has tested an experimental ___________ ________ and has come up with impressive success rates. Cytos Biotechnology believes it has the __ ______ __ ____ to fight nicotine addiction. Clinical trials on 341 heavy smokers revealed that 40 percent of those who received the vaccine stopped smoking. All smokers who took the vaccine developed antibodies ____ ______ _____ ___ desire for a cigarette.

The vaccine works __ _______ ___ _________ of nicotine antibodies to _____ ___ _____ to the brain. This reduces the dependence on nicotine and curbs any pleasurable effects it has for smokers, thus helping people to break their addiction. The drug may be particularly useful __ _______ ________ after quitting. “Just one” cigarette is enough __ _______ __ _______ to nicotine for those who thought they had quit. This is good news for the world’s 1.3 billion smokers, five million of whom die each year from smoking.

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find information on nicotine. Share your findings with your class in the next lesson.

3. NO SMOKING: Make a poster about the dangers of smoking. Show it to your classmates in your next lesson. Discuss with your classmates which is the most effective poster.

4. LETTER: Write a letter to your government or a tobacco company. Tell them what they should do to reduce the number of worldwide deaths attributed to smoking each year. Show your letter to the class next lesson. Did your classmates write similar things?

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE

a. T

b. F

c. F

d. T

e. F

f. T

g. T

h. F

SYNONYM MATCH

a.

just around the corner

at hand

b.

kick the habit

quit

c.

impressive

notable

d.

to date

yet

e.

reject

repel

f.

inducing

activating

g.

block

bar

h.

curbs

suppresses

i.

revive

resurrect

j.

each year

annually

PHRASE MATCH:

a.

Help may be

just around the corner

b.

kick

the habit

c.

impressive success

rates

d.

the best answer to

date

e.

developed

antibodies

f.

block

its entry to the brain

g.

reduces the dependence

on nicotine

h.

particularly

useful

i.

pleasurable

effects

j.

prevent

relapses

WHICH WORD?:

Anti-smoking vaccine developed

Help may be just around the corner for smokers wishing to kick the habit. A Swiss company has tested an experimental anti-nicotine vaccine and has come up with impressive success rates. Cytos Biotechnology believes it has the best answer to date to fight nicotine addiction. Clinical trials on 341 heavy smokers revealed that 40 percent of those who received the vaccine stopped smoking. All smokers who took the vaccine developed antibodies that helped reject the desire for a cigarette.

The vaccine works by inducing the production of nicotine antibodies to block its entry to the brain. This reduces the dependence on nicotine and curbs any pleasurable effects it has for smokers, thus helping people to break their addiction. The drug may be particularly useful to prevent relapses after quitting. “Just one” cigarette is enough to revive an addiction to nicotine for those who thought they had quit. This is good news for the world’s 1.3 billion smokers, five million of whom die each year from smoking.